Op Art Eggs

I've seen this project around quite a bit lately, so I just had to give it a try. Of course, I did give it an Art Fairy tweak or two.

Instead of using the traditional sphere shape, we used an egg in honor of Easter.

This was also done in two pieces. The eggs were done on a separate paper, cut out and then attached.

They were given a cardstock egg shape templates to draw the eggs.

To draw the grid on the eggs, I had the students draw a slightly curved line down the center of the egg creating two sections. they drew another curved line in in the center of each new section, creating four sections. I told them to think of the longitude lines they would see on a globe. We repeated this process for the horizontal or latitudinal lines. 

The eggs were then colored with watercolor pencil, water was added using Q-tips, and lastly cut out. 

Because of time constraints, students were given a grid that was premade on the computer and printed onto cardstock. Again we used watercolor pencils for the grid.

We discussed a bit of color theory and looked at the color wheel. We talked about complimentary colors and how primary colors are mixed to create secondary colors. We also discussed how they complimentary colors are always composed of one warm and one cool color.

Students were instructed to choose one warm and one cool color to complete the grid patterns and hopefully create 

a bit of "chromatic tension". 

The eggs were then attached using rolled up pieces of tape.

Gluing would probably be better, but tape allowed us to move ahead without waiting for it to dry. The eggs were lightly shaded at the edges with vine charcoal. White highlight was added to the center of the eggs with chalk pastel.

Before we started our project we watched this little video on You Tube about the history of Optical Art. It is actually about Pop and Op Art but is nicely split in two sections right in the middle around the 5 minute mark. Several of the pop art images were more than I was willing to explain to my elementary level students so we skipped ahead and stopped early on the video. We also watched this 

video slide show of Op Art by Victor Vasarely. 

Next time I try this project, I'd like to try adding a basket as well and see how that turns out. Can you think of any other ways to modify this project to fit what you're currently working on? I'd love to hear your ideas...

Stay tuned Monday for a special Versatile Blogger Awards Post!

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Giraffe Scratch

Jimmie inspired me to do this lesson which though super simple, can get a little messy. But the amount of fun you have is directly indicated by the amount of mess left behind, right? So here is a fun giraffe project!

You will need:

pencil
cardstock(the smooth surface works best for this type of project)
crayons or oil pastels
wooden skewer(shiskkabob stick) or unbent paper clip

1. Draw the giraffe in pencil according to the steps below. When finished, outline in sharpie and
erase any extra pencil marks you don't want.

2. Color with crayon or oil pastel with firm enough pressure to create an even surface- white is the enemy! Vanquish it!
(if there are areas you want to stay white, color them in with white- there needs to be two layers of materials for this to work properly)
Be creative with your colors! If you want a blue giraffe with orange spots then go for it!

3. Here comes the scary part! Once the paper is completely covered with color, add a layer of black over the entire picture! Again you will have to use a firm pressure, but you should still be able to see the design through the black.

4. Use the skewer or paper clip to "scratch" off the black. Try to scratch in different patterns to add more texture and visual interest!
(this is where things get really messy with scratched off crayon or pastel bits, you will want to cover your area or work outside.)
Clean up can usually be accomplished pretty easy from hard surfaces with baby wipes and or hand sanitizer- the alcohol breaks down the oil.

To see another project done in this technique,
check out Art Projects for Kids scratch turkey.



Another variation of this project can be done
with colored glue and chalk pastel.

For a thorough tutorial on the process
check out That Artist Woman-Stained Glass on Paper.

While you are busy making giraffes, you can learn about them too with these very interesting giraffe facts at Buzzle.com

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An Independence Day Eagle

I can't say I join with all the frenzy over our new president but it is a historic occasion and a time to reflect on the rich history of our great nation. So in honor of that, I present you with an Independence Day Art Project!


This project was done in chalk pastel, which I love for it's superior blendability. Achieving soft and realistic results is really easy with this versatile albeit messy medium.

You will need:

Chalk pastels
pastel paper(construction paper with a rough texture will work too!)
pencil.
silver star stickers(the kind we lived for in elementary school)

Draw the flag in first. You will probably want to use a ruler and plan out your measurements. (What a perfect way to add math skills to an art lesson!) There are thirteen stripes to represent the original thirteen states. I could only fit 12 on mine, but that is okay since it is kind of a cropped viewpoint. There should be 50 stars, but obviously the eagles wings will cover a lot of them, so just eyeball it the best you can. The stars should have one point going up and two going down. You can learn more about the history of the flag at this website.
Enchanted learning also has a great little book you can print out for younger kids to read and color.
Here is a step by step tutorial for drawing the eagle.











When adding color, complete the background first. Add in white stripes first, then red, and then the blue in the star area. blend with your finger, tissue, or q-tip.
Color the beak with a lighter yellow and accent the shadow with a sandy tan. Color the head white and add feathers with blue, brown, and a little black.Blend. Color the iris of the eye with the sandy tan and the pupil with black. Make sure to leave a white accent in the black pupil to show the shiny wetness of the eye. You can color the rest of the body and wings with brown, except for the end of the tail feathers which will be white. Add black happy face shapes to show feathers in the wings. In the body, keep the lines straighter. Add a little extra black to the back wing to make it appear darker and thereby father away. Blend until perfect, add a few white and tan accents on the wings to show lights. Make sure to this in the bones of the wings as well which would catch more light.
Be sure to spay your painting with a fixative to protect it.
(I sometimes use aerosol hairspray for this. It is inexpensive and way less toxic.)

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Degas' Dancing Divas

How do you present a master of figure drawing (an extremely difficult technique to master) to a group of second graders? This lesson would be a good start. I took this originally from an Usborne art book called "What shall I draw today?"

First I gave the students a triangle and circle template to control the outcome on the size of the figure.(You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.)










When the drawing is complete, have the children outline the lines with black sharpie marker and then color in with markers and chalk pastels. With older students you can emphasize light sources and how to add shadows and highlights.
The sample at the top was done with chalk pastel pencils and marker on pink paper, but you could also do a simple variation with a glue and pastel technique on black paper. All the above steps would be the same except instead of outlining with black sharpie marker, have the kids go over their lines with glue. Wait for it to dry- a day or so and then color in with chalk pastel.




For more information on Edgar Degas, check out these great links and resources...

ArtSmarts for Kids
National Gallery of Art



Stay tuned for a project based on the California State Flag.

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